1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an encounter and contact mattress. The mattress has the property that it has two (or more) functional sides that are configured to be the same, similar, or different, and serve for support, whereby the one side is suitable for facing toward a contact person and another side is suitable for offering a baby a secure and comfortable support surface.
2. State of the Art
Within the scope of hospital treatment, particularly within the scope of intensive-care treatment of babies, particularly of premature babies, extended phases of separation of the child from the mother occur. This not only has negative consequences for the physical and psychological development of the child, but also leads to psychological suffering on the part of the mother and to a disruption in establishing the relationship between mother and child, with numerous negative consequences and uncertainties, which further complicate the already difficult situation.
For the initial phase of treatment of a premature baby, which is often critical and is primarily directed at survival of the child, and also for the treatment of very premature or sick children, the use of baby incubators, reanimation units, and heating beds has proven and established itself for maintaining the climate that is necessary for life.
In order to balance out the lack of true contact with the mother, the Kangaroo Care method is used, for example, in which the child is taken out of the incubator or heating bed for a few hours a day, and given to the mother or another caregiver (for the sake of simplicity, we will always say mother in the following) to lie on the mother's chest, in a position that is soothing for the child. The method of Kangaroo Care leads to an improvement in the bond between mother and child, and, as numerous studies have shown, contributes to positive development of premature babies.
The incubators that are part of the current state of the art have the following characteristics: This is an apparatus for accommodating a baby or a premature baby, whereby this apparatus is closed off toward the top. The upper region is configured as a hood and consists predominantly of transparent material. Reach-in openings on the side(s) and the ability to flip the top and sides open serve to perform the necessary care of the child and medical treatments. The size of such an incubator is defined so that not only can the child be accommodated in the incubator, but it can also be handled within the incubator, and additional surfaces for laying objects down are present.
Incubators are designed in such a manner that they have apparatuses that make a constant, moist/warm climate available within the incubator.
Warm and moist air is introduced into the interior of the incubator by way of ventilation slits. Positioning aids for babies are known in various embodiments.
The support surfaces or supports or positioning apparatuses usually used in baby incubators, reanimation units, and heating beds, for supporting premature and newborn babies, offer the child a support surface in the horizontal position (with the possibility of a change in position controlled by way of an electric motor, in infinitely adjustable manner). By means of this positioning, optimal access for medical care and general care of the child is made possible.
Added specially disposed mattresses, pillows, and constructions are intended to give the child (who can assume a great number of positions, without experiencing support, security, or comfortable positioning) security in its positioning. The individual positioning pillows are positioned accordingly, depending on their application, and generally simply lie on the positioning apparatus, for example a usual mattress.
On some support surfaces or cushions, the child lies directly on these, while others require an additional soft layer or wrapper, for example a molleton fabric or a surface structured in a particular manner, made of materials having low heat conductivity, or the support surfaces are heated to body temperature, in order not to take any heat away from the child, and to minimize unintentional air flows in the incubator.
The stated positioning aids have proven themselves as usual equipment to support the lying positions of the infants.
A typically used embodiment of a positioning mat for newborns is described in DE 199 093 82 A1. It consists of a pillow filled with polyurethane gel and enclosed, all around, by a plastic wrapper. The top has a regular peak and valley structure, whereby liquid collects in the valley structure, which thereby is not supposed to come into contact with the infant.
A cushion for positioning newborns in an incubator, bordered by film, is shown in the patent document DE 699 11 426 T2. This support surface has one or more chambers that can be filled with air and are partly covered with fabric. The hardness of the support surface can be individually adjusted by way of the filling pressure.
In patent document DE 39 10 238 A1, a special form of an inflatable air cushion having a surface that reinforces the effect of phototherapy is described.
More recent positioning mattresses and pillows for newborns consist of a viscoelastic, very soft foam material wrapped in plastic film, which gives way to the low weight pressure of the newborn.
Also more recent embodiments provide that such a support surface is combined with a heating film, in order to keep a corresponding temperature level stable over the entire mattress in this manner. In general, materials are used that have been dermatologically tested, are easy to clean and not flammable; in individual cases, they are also provided with an antibacterial property.
Aids for defined positioning on such a support surface are known in various embodiments. The positioning aids serve for lateral delimitation, for delimitation of the head, or also for positioning on the abdomen.
Aside from the usual practical positioning aids, such as, for example, a rolled-up molleton cloth, diaper, or the like, a number of very helpful products are on the market (for example positioning pillows made of gel, or support surfaces made of fabric, which impart a hold by means of sewn-on folds and fabric strips) within the scope of development-promoting care.
Positioning aids made of foam material with a somewhat harder surrounding plastic film, such as those used for abdominal positioning of the baby, are cut on the lower surface or at another corresponding suitable location, in order to allow compressed air that comes about by the contact pressure of the infant to escape, so that the mattress continues to demonstrate viscoelastic properties even in the greatly compressed state.
Furthermore, wedge-like configurations for avoiding cranial deformities, as listed in EP 1 795 090 A1, are known, as is a positioning device for newborns, intended for transport, from DE 35 02 003 A1. The latter consists of an elastically deformable silicone rubber and has a trough-like positioning aid for the head of the child. In this device, the child is positioned securely, softly, in heat-stable and slip-resistant manner, for transport.
A preemie cocoon is known from DE 10 2008 059 469 A1, which is particularly intended to be put on premature babies in incubators.
This is a kind of suit in the configuration of a wrapper that brings the premature baby into a suitable position, but also offers wrapper-like protection, comparable to a cocoon. If skin contact with the premature baby is desired, a few buttons and loops must be opened. In general, only the torso of the premature baby can be reached. In this connection, there is not fixed position of the child.
From US 2008/0256679 A1, an article of clothing for an adult person is known, which is suitable for being additionally provided with an article of clothing that is suitable for accommodating an infant, whereby the article of clothing for the infant can be affixed to that of the adult, in releasable manner. In this connection, no direct body contact is provided.
From EP 0 503 231 A1, a pad for an infant is known. This patent describes a preferably cushioned bottom part and an edge region at least partly filled with fill material.
From U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,531, a pad for an infant is known, in which the laterally cushioned edge regions, for example in wedge shape, can be removed.